Echoes of a Lost Era
by Aiedeen
Summary: Set in the modern world as if the charter etc was something in the past. A young boy of 12 finds a book of power from ages past and brings magic to his and a freinds life. Im not great at summaries so just read it please
1. How it all began

CHAPTER 1

How It All Began

It was the height of summer in the year of 2006, and the school holidays had just started. My name is George and I am twelve years old. I have dirty blonde hair that ends just above my brown eyes and I had recently finished reading the old kingdom trilogy by Garth Nix. He was my favourite author and I loved reading his books. I was cycling down to the nearest library on my ridgeback mountain bike for some new books to read while I went on holiday to Spain, and after that to the Isle of White. The sun was high in the sky and I felt its warming rays play across my face, and I thought that if the dead were real they wouldn't be out in the open on this day, for the dead were greatly weakened by sunlight and less so by rain. The library was only two streets away but I was starting to sweat already because of the heat and I was excited about what book I might find. It must be a Garth Nix book, I thought, and hopefully a few more new ones as well, that would be a real bonus. The library came into view as I rounded the corner; I was really sweaty by now and longing for the cool interior of the library. I wedged my bike into a rusted bike holder and chained it there so no over eager chav could take it for a joyride down the skate park. There was a massive, ancient oak tree looming over the bike holder and its great green leaves filter the sun to make a semi-shadow all over the car park in front of the library. I opened the deep oak doors of the library and stepped into the brightly lit reception.

Half an hour later I was standing in front of a bookcase with tacky plastic shelves stacked high with books. I had asked the receptionist if they had any Garth Nix books but they only had Grim Tuesday, which I had already read before, but there was another author with the same surname so I thought I would check it out. It was in the fantasy section so it looked promising, and I needed a new story to dwell on any way.

I had been told that the book was supposed to be very, very old but readable, it had a sun bleached brown, leather covering and nothing but a weird symbol on the front cover. At last! I had just seen a faded brown spine of a book wedged in tightly between "Gone Into The Abyss" and "Gyrobics for beginners", which I knew had nothing to do with fantasy... It wasn't too big or heavy and the cover looked very old. I couldn't see the weird symbol though and I wondered if I had the right book. I flipped the book on its side and there was Fredrick Nix, written on the spine. I flipped the book back over in my hand to look at the cover again. Surely that hadn't been there before! But there in the dead centre was a great charter mark! It was deep silver in colour and the lines moved inside giving the effect of slow moving mercury. It kept its shape though. It was pulsating lightly and so I put two fingers on it and fell into nothingness.

Then suddenly small stars exploded all around me, but these were no stars, they were billions upon billions of charter marks glowing gold! They weren't all gold though; some were silver, others blue, red and many more. All different and they all felt warm and fuzzy. Then quite suddenly I was back in my body, two fingers millimetres away from the charter mark. The experience was eerie, for all this was just like Garth Nix's vivid explanations in his stories. I immediately went to the receptionist's desk and showed her the book and told her to look at it, but she just saw bleached brown leather of an old book and a sweaty child showing it to her. "Are you okay dear?" she asked, I felt embarrassed that I came storming in and looking so stupid. "But surly miss you see that mark, or at least feel it, it pulsates you see." I then thrust the book, cover first, onto her open palm. As soon as she felt the cover the mark glowed so bright it looked like a light bulb. Some colour poured back into her aged face. "Oh my," she said, "Why I believe I do young man, how wonderful, and warm too. I feel ten years younger.", and she looked it too I thought. "May I have it then miss?" I asked as pleasantly as I could for I feared she would take it because of the warmth it gave her.

"Of course deary, of course." So she scanned it quickly and handed it over. I practically ran through the oak front doors, and sprinted to my bike. Now this was a book I needed to read. It felt like it was saturated in magic, which is supposedly not real.

It took me a lot less time to get home than it did to get to the library. I was going so fast I almost smashed into the front door of my house, but luckily dad had improved the brakes on my bike after a mountain bike crash when my brakes failed. Remembering that time I felt my stomach churn. I was hurling down a mountain path with dad when he shouted "stop!" But my brakes failed and I rocketed into a pole, a horizontal pole at my stomach level designed to keep cars off the path. Lets just say I didn't cycle the rest of the way down! I opened my front door and stepped into the porch. Our porch was made of brick with one large window on the left. It was a short corridor really, with the end wall made of glass and wood and the door which was made of glass and wood also. The porch was lovely and cool in summers but bitterly cold during winters. I hastily kicked off my shoes and ran through the glass and wood door, up the stairs, along the landing and flying into my bedroom.

Ten minutes later I started to talk to myself again, this is one of my many bad habits.

"Weird," I said, "really weird." There wasn't a single word, or even letter in that book. "All that excitement for nothing." I was feeling I bit let down now. The only things visible were the page numbers. I flicked to the back page to see if there was anything there. Nothing, "Just the last page, page number 247. 247 pages of nothing. I guess _Fredrick Nix _was a lazy man." I started to flick back to the first page looking at the left side pages. Then I stopped, I still don't know why but I had the same feeling that I had when I saw the charter mark. I looked more carefully at the page to see if I could see what caused me to stop on this page, page number 178. Then I saw it, an extremely faint line, no a sort of arched window shape. It was traced on the page with what must have been the finest pen in the world. I touched the line with my two fingers on one part of the shape. I felt a warm buzz under my fingers, and then a searing heat as golden fire erupted along the lines. It was golden charter fire, fire which roared with charter marks, billions of them casting blinding light. I yowled like a demon because of the pain; it had badly burnt my fingertips. I heard my mum's frightened voice ask "what is the matter" from downstairs, and so I stifled a second yowl of pain. I managed to shout back

"It's nothing!" I hoped she wouldn't come up to my room, and thankfully she didn't, also the fire receded too. The shape's line seemed to flow but not changing direction, just flowing like thick, slippery goo. A lot like the charter mark on the front I thought, but this one glowed fiery reds and oranges. The space inside the window shape was bare, but when I looked closer there was very faint strokes of colour that came into focus and then faded away again. I looked even closer so that my nose was only centimetres away from the page. There were more strokes now I thought. These ones also wriggled across the page as well and were a lot less faint. Then hundreds appeared at once and moved and entwined into each other. They formed to make a picture, no a moving picture or film. "Wow, how on eck is this happening?" I muttered. The film was of a man who was old, so old you would think him to be ancient. His skin was aged with great wrinkles and was slightly translucent too. His very grey hair fell down just below the shoulders and his crisp white beard fell all the way to his waist. He was dressed in thick purple linen and silk which was covered in tiny half moons and golden suns. He's eyes looked like the kind that had seen too much villainy and yet gave out plate loads of kindness. His lips started to move but no sound came. He must of realised I couldn't hear him from my reactions. So he drew his withered hands from beneath the layers of linen and silk, and he started to draw symbols in the air. The symbols that he was drawing, I saw, were yet more charter marks. I knew this because when he finished a symbol there was a flash of golden light and sounds started to issue from the book.

After about five minutes he stopped and spoke one word, to me it sounded like someone talking into a pillow so the word was muffled. Then everything was crystal clear, I could even hear the sounds of the linen when he moved. "Why hello there, and may I ask how you got hold of a book of power without even having a charter mark on your head. Also, where are we?" His voice had the essence of authority around it and had a posh accent to it. I knew as well from this small speech that this man liked knowledge. "I, I got the book from the library, down a couple of streets away, and err we are in my room at my house, which is in Birmingham. And err, what's your name. Mine is George Grates." I was quite nervous, because this man looked important. I won't right out this entire dull conversation. I found out that his name, Frederick Nix, that he is roughly seventy years old and is a charter priest. "So, sir," (for he liked being called sir) "do you think you could baptise me?"

"Maybe," he muttered, "maybe."


	2. The two new charter mages

Chapter 2

The Two New Charter Mages

That summer holiday was tedious , fun but very tedious at times. The man in the book was a charter priest, but the fact that he was stuck in a book, even a book of power, made baptising extremely difficult. The opportunity came near the end of the holidays any way. The equipment he needed was hard to find and to make it even more difficult as the objects had to be trapped into the book with him. This took up most of the free time I got. By free time I meant the time when I was alone in the house (or tent when I was on the Isle of Wight). It was the 25th of August when the baptism finally took place.

Mum had left with Izzy, my two year old sister, to go food shopping. As soon as mum's car left the drive way I rushed upstairs and into my room. I opened the book and placed it on a book stand. Frederick swam into focus, looking a little worn out.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"What, oh, yes, yes I'm fine, just a little tired that's all." This was followed by a humongous yawn. " right well lets get started shall we?", and before I could answer he started to chant. I noticed that a charter mark of ash was upon his forehead covering his own charter mark. Frederick continued to chant, he chanted about the eternal charter, of how it connected all the things in life and death, and how it described everything in the world. He mentioned my name and signalled with two fingers his forehead and then mine. Then he pulled a silver bottle from within his large sleeves, and took off the cork with a quiet pop. A scent of crushed thistles and sweet rosemary issued from the bottle creating an atmosphere that sharpened the mind but lulled the body. Frederick then spoke one, one syllable word, and clapped once. The ash charter mark disappeared from his forehead and a warm sensation spread across my forehead.

"Brilliant!" Frederick shouted with glee, "The charter has accepted thee."

" Does that mean I am a charter mage?" I asked hopefully. I felt with two fingers my new charter mark.

" You can become a charter mage," Frederick said, "but only if you are determined enough, and practise a lot."

" I will." I promised to Frederick, and to me.

The last week and a bit of the summer holidays was filled with me trying to create, and cast a cloaking spell. I was trying to hide my charter mark at school because I was sure that some kids would just take the mick out of me. I must admit that I thought any form of learning would be boring. Learning charter magic was different though. It was exciting using the many different marks into a spell, trying to get them in an order so that they would work. I also had to learn the names, power and type, and master marks as well, so I knew which ones to use, and which ones I shouldn't. Three days before the end of the summer holidays I had cast a successful, but crude, cloaking spell hiding my charter mark. The last few days was spent with my friends from school, now that my charter mark was hidden I accepted all their invites and made a few of my own. That was one of the best parts of this summer holiday.

It was tutor period at Alderbrook, my school, and I was chatting to a girl called Grace. Most of the other kids in our other groups said we were going out. We weren't but we did go to each others houses, and we chatted a lot.

" Grace do you want to go to my house tomorrow, I got this thing I want to show you." I asked in a sweet tone, the _thing _was the book of power from the library.

"Yeah sure" She said, "But don't fart in the same room as me, please." I kept renewing the book so I could still chat to Frederick. Frederick said that if anybody could see the master mark (I found that out later) on the cover they could be baptised. No other friends of mine saw the master mark, but everyone felt the pulsation. Grace had been to my house before, but I forgot about the book. The reason me and Grace got on so well was because we sat next to each other in tutor and we were in the same group as each other in most of the subjects. Tutor period had changed too. Instead of having thirty or so pupils of the same year group there was three or four of each year group. This meant that the four of us year eights were now quite close. Finally tomorrow came and I waited for Grace to feel the book.

I couldn't keep the excitement at bay, it burst out of me giving me bounds of energy, so I almost jogged home but had to slow down for Grace.

"God you're full of energy." said Grace, "Slow down would you, the world wont end if you're not at your house straight away."

"Oh I cant help it" I said, "I'm just excited that's all."

" I can see that." she muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Oi I heard that!" I said, then I clasped my arm around her shoulders. Five minutes later we walked through my front door , said hi to mum and went straight to my room. When we were both inside I closed the door. I threw off the hot school jacket and heavy school bag onto my bed. Grace followed suit. I walked over to the bookshelf and pulled the book out. I was confident Grace would see the mark, for she said she often saw a flash of gold light from my forehead, a real charter mage would see a gold film over my forehead, the film was my cloaking spell. As soon as she saw the cover she gasped, and fell. I dived forwards to catch her, but only managed to throw grace onto my bed and send me catapulting towards the floor instead. I whacked my nose with such a force it felt like it had exploded, or at least broken. Mum rushed upstairs to find out the problem, and found me squirming on the floor with a swollen nose and a fainted Grace on my bed. Mum exploded into action like my nose exploded into pain, she ran down stairs to get something. I in the mean while stumbled over to Grace and sat down next to her. My nose started to bleed so I quickly tilted my head back. Wow, I thought, that book sure can cause some carnage. Soon after mum re-entered with a chunk of ice and a glass of water.

"Here," mum said, "Put it on your nose, it'll make the swelling go down." She then sat Grace up and poured some water down her throat. Grace choked, and then came to.

"What was that!," Grace exclaimed. She then saw me with a hunk of ice resting on a swollen nose. "And what on earth happened to you?"

"Yes, what did you do to yourself ?" questioned Mum.

" Well Grace fainted, I dived to catch her, but only managed to throw grace on the bed and catapult me into the floor. My nose hit first." I explained, and I took off the ice because my nose was getting numb.

"I'll get you round to the doctors." said mum, I groaned. When mum left the room I asked Grace what made her faint, she had gone all shaky and sweaty so her reply had to wait. I comforted her by putting my arm around her, stopping the shivering, for she was ice cold. I visualised the three charter marks for heat that I knew and cast them into Grace. The cold ebbed away and colour rushed into her face. She muttered her thanks and drank some water.

"Grace tell me, did you see a symbol on the cover of that book?" I asked in a soothing tone.

"If you mean that old looking one, yes." she replied.

"Really!" I asked nearly shouting, jumping up with excitement. "The symbol with the lines that flow and look like thick mercury?"

"Yeah, yes I do, the one with the lines that look like goo." said Grace. I leapt down and picked up the book and flicked to page 178. "Look," I said, "Can you see a shape on there? Like an arched window. It might be quite faint. If you do, touch it!"

"Ok, I will but it's only a shape." She replied.

"You'll see," I said, "You'll see." Her finger touched the line like mine did one month ago, and just like my time the line erupted into golden charter fire. She went to scream but I, ready, covered her mouth with my hand.

"Here." I said, giving her my chunk of ice to put on her finger. She muttered her thanks again, rubbing her finger all over the chunk of ice. When Grace looked at the book again the fire had gone leaving that same line like the ones on the front cover. Colours were swirling there as well.

"Wow how is that possible?" She asked.

"That's nothing, just keep watching." I replied, and she did. More and more streaks of colour appeared, swirling around in a whirlpool of colours. Graced ooohed and aaaaahed at the whirlpool and then squeaked in surprise as Frederick appeared. I chuckled and introduced them.

"Frederick, Grace. Grace, Frederick."

"Hello." spoke Grace, the simple word shrouded in shyness and shock.

"Hello young gal, and how are you for I must be quite a shock." replied Frederick in a voice of grandness. Grace did look like she had been in a state of shock and utter surprise. "I take it Peter, that you want Grace baptised?" Frederick continued, I nodded and hoped Grace would want to be baptised.

"Grace, have you read this book before? (I picked up the Sabriel book and showed it to her.)" I asked. Grace simply nodded, her mind completely unable to work things out.

Grace's baptism took place the next Friday. Only more of the special aroma was needed, there was plenty of everything else. I watched in anticipation, praying the charter would except her. The book was on the book stand, with Frederick watching Grace preparing for the baptism. She had brought some formal clothes for the occasion. The clothes were a full length red dress, a set of plated gold bracelets and plain white stockings. The dress had golden lining with a flowery collar and lace all around the rims. The plated gold bracelets had her full name imbedded on them, there were three in total and the plain white stockings were just plain white stockings. Grace also had her hair down and straightened. Well, I thought, for a one person audience she certainty wants to look good. I remembered what a state I was in, sweaty from the heat and also wearing a plain t-shirt and shorts. Grace looked like perfection in a heavily worked on cool and calm state. She sat down cross-legged in front of the book. Frederick took this as a signal to start and so he began his chant. I listened carefully to the chant and felt the power in those words. One day I will have that same amount of power too. He said her name and waved his two fingers from his forehead to hers. He said one, one syllable word and clapped once. Like my baptism the ash charter mark disappeared from Frederick's forehead and a real charter mark appeared on Grace's forehead. The magic of the baptism had locked Grace in that sitting position, it wouldn't even let her twitch. The clap broke that lock and Grace then immediately sneezed. She felt her forehead and felt the charter mark there; it pulsated with her heart beat lightly under her finger tips. She spoke in a far off sort of voice, "Wow, that was freaky." So now she was a charter mage, the second in Britain for one thousand years.


	3. The second book of learning

CHAPTER 3

The Second Book of Learning

Grace's baptism was two weeks ago now, it seemed ages since the holidays, and the bore of school pushed out the excitement of being a charter mage. As often as we could me and Grace met each other in private places. The chosen places were each others houses and a secret location in Tudor Grange park. The park wasn't owned by the school, but it was near to it so they had the same name. The location was a hard to get to clearing. It was hard to get there because the clearing was surrounded by thick bushes and thickets, and surprisingly well hidden. It was ideal, and cosy in a way. Also our personal relation ship grew. I would always bring the book with Frederick in with me and we both learnt as much charter magic as we could in the given period of time. Frederick was writing two identical books for each of us, listing all of the basic charter marks he knew and there meaning, symbol and name. When the books were finished we stopped learning marks and how to create spells and learnt a complex spell to open a small portal to allow objects from within the book to be passed into the real world. The reason that letting things into the book was a lot easier than letting things out was unknown to me. I did have the suspicion that the book was used to trap Frederick in it, though I saw no reason in why he was trapped.

It took me and Grace a total of eleven days to get the spell right. We were sitting in the middle of the clearing and were supposed to make the portal spell and use it to grab a leaf from the highest tree on the edge of the clearing. My thoughts were wondering already and concentration on the spell lost completely. I was sucked back to reality by a triumphant squeal from the right side of me. I looked at a very triumphant Grace holding her targeted pink leaf. A small vertical circle hovered in front of her casting a luminescent blue light, and it was made purely of charter marks. An identical blue circle, almost invisible in the bright autumn sun, hung in the upper branches of the target tree.

"If you can do it so can I!" I stated. I reached out for the charter and found its border, the charter was hard to get to being as there isn't a single charter stone in Britain, or the entire world to my knowledge, and finally I pushed through into the great whirl of the charter. It was like pushing against a wall of thick chewing gum and only breaks when it is pushed to far and snaps apart. I plucked forth all the needed charter marks, thirty one in total, and ordered them into a spell. At first the marks just wouldn't form up, but by an effort of pure will power the marks lined up. I cast the two circles into there places, one in front of me, one in front of my target leaf. My portal was a more purple and translucent than Grace's portal. I reached forward a put my hand through the portal. I felt a near dead leaf in my hands. I plucked it from the tree and brought back through the portal to me. It was still green but the edges were crisp and golden, a true sign that the summer was at its end. "Yes, now let's get those books," I said with a will.

Getting the other end of the portal into the book was difficult because the books defences were powerful. We were both casting a portal but Grace's had failed, and mine was fading already and was going to fail soon. Grace lent me her power and strength by placing her hand in mine. After what seemed a year battling with the book's defences my portal, aided by Grace, broke through to Frederick. It took all of my will power to keep the portal from breaking, so sweat started to fall from my brow. Grace saw this so she pushed her hand through the portal and retrieved the books. As soon as Grace's hand was cleared I let the portal go. All the marks broke off from each other and faded back into the charter. The two books were covered in red leather and were bound in strong, black enamel clasps. The pages were stark and white and the writing was neat and loopy, and was in red ink also. The title read "_Charter Magic for Beginners". _

The book was exactly a hundred pages long. With each page filled to its borders with notes and symbols on charter magic. I particularly liked the marks that were used to make things and using magic on ornate objects. A whole thirty three pages were dedicated to this. Grace became a healer, or at least learnt way more spells to do with healing than I did. Her friends never needed a bandage again, for she would heal there wounds with surprising skill. From then on people said she had a healing touch. The books were priceless to us, they were easy to read and both of our skills in magic increased ten fold. My thoughts were a drift though, I was thinking of why the charter was accessible as there was nothing magical in Britain. I asked Frederick this once and his answer was disturbing.

"Well since I see you will ask me this again and again until I tell you I might as well tell you now." replied Frederick; I was surprised a little for I thought it might be a big hushed up secret, and Frederick was not one to hand out secrets.

"Approximately a thousand years ago all countries had mages and charter stones, but that was soon going to change."

"In the far away remote oases in the Sahara desert a free magic being of impossible power brooded. The Sahara desert was once a lush rain forest, but the being saw to that. Using its power it destroyed every living thing, plant, animal and bacteria alike. It roamed the desert looking for any oases left to destroy, and eventually it arrived at the edge of the desert. It came to the northern areas of Africa, killing everything in its path. It then stumbled to Egypt. Egypt had massive amounts of powerful charter mages. But the power of the being was too great; it slaughtered the mages with ease. The ruler of Egypt called upon the whole world to his aid, and the world recognised that there will be no world if this being still existed. Mages flooded to Cairo, where the being was headed. Millions went out to confront the being but none returned, it took the strength of those millions to destroy the beast. Unfortunately the being was too powerful still to be completely wiped off the face of the earth. A few free magic sorcerers accompanied them, for the simple reason of trying to control such a powerful being. Those who tried to master it was burned up by the things will, others saw sense and combined the charter mage's magic into a free magic spell of pure destruction. The being was blasted into pieces as small as atoms, sheeting the planet with its particles. Free magic of the beings kind is a source to all magic so the particles still allow access to the charter, and unfortunately free magic. The spell was also tainted by the sorcerer's evil; it killed everything that was affected by magic, even the free magic sorcerers themselves. That is why there are no charter mages or charter stones or living dead or free magic sorcerers. Only a few magical objects survived, and most of those were books like the one I'm trapped in." Hi answer startled and scared me. Millions! I became tentative in breathing, not wanting to breathe in the being. Grace too looked, to say the least, a bit peaky. Eager to change the direction of this morbid conversation I asked.

"Well, err, I have one more question. Can you come out of that book, so you can, like, take the shape of something." I knew the answer was probably no.

"It is possible." Frederick replied, proving me wrong. He was slightly out of breath from his previous explanation. "But it would involve a free magic spell."

Grace shot up like a rocket, it occurred to me that saying a free magic spell was going too far for her and for me too, and I was right.

"Now this is going too far!" Grace snapped. "It's all well and good to be able to cast charter magic but free magic is going way over the limits. I will not say a single word to do with free magic." _You just did,_ I thought.

"No gal, no free magic words will leave your mouth, it is I who will speak the words of power. You only have to create a sending, I trust you know how." explained Frederick. We both shook our heads, there were the basics of a sending in the book he gave us, but not enough to complete one.

"Ah I will have to teach you then; no actually I will add the complete making of a sending to the second book I'm righting for you." Frederick told us. He then produced a thick, hard backed book. This book was also covered in red leather and bound in black enamel clasps like the previous pair. There was only one this time, so we would have to share it.

"I can become a spirit that wears magical flesh," Frederick continued, "but firstly I would need to have the near completion of a sending, which needs special spells itself to be able to hold me. I would also need one of you to create the portal spell big enough for me to step through. The other one will have to chant the spell which would bind me to the sending, for my body is too weak to walk upon the earth unaided. Then both of you finish the sending with the appropriate spells while I speak the words of free magic." The next hour or so was filled with heated conversations and snappy arguments.

Nine days later during a cool autumn Saturday we were all sat in the clearing. Grace and Frederick were on a tree stump talking. I wasn't paying them any notice though, because I was practising the portal spell. I had made a slight variation to the spell. Instead of creating two circular portals, I was going to enshroud myself in the spell. This would let me, in theory, teleport any where; I was going to limit myself to the clearing for safety's sake. I was focusing so hard on the spell that I lost all vision and my eyes rolled. The necessary marks were thundering round my head giving me a migraine, and then I indicated my body to the spell. The spell left my head with the force of a shotgun. Then the migraine went and vision returned.

Peter was standing a few paces away concentrating on something and I was chatting with Frederick. "Frederick, sir, I was wandering. What sending should you be, I mean like, if human size is too difficult," I asked.

"Hmm well I don't suppose that a human shape would do any way. Imagine if your parents saw you walking with an old man everywhere!" he chuckled, "who knows what they might think? Anyway a creature of smaller size would be more appropriate."

"What sort of creature, dog, cat… Guinea pig?"

"Guinea pig! Oh no, a bird maybe or an owl." Scoffed Frederick.

"An owl is an…." I didn't manage to say any more because a great bang erupted a few paces away; the shockwave knocking Frederick's book over. "Oh My!!" he called.

The experience was nothing like I imagined; my body glowed blue and time seemed to freeze. Everything was all blurry and my sight seemed to suck towards me. Will power alone kept the spell intact; I knew it wouldn't last much longer so I walked towards grace. When I walked the world spun and I half fainted. The spell dispersed and time began again. I felt faint, extremely faint, and a little cool. Frederick yowled ferociously, "What in the charter are you doing!!! You could of frozen time forever!!! You fool!!!" And then, I fainted.

I awoke to the feel of cold water on me. I shot up; all senses working over drive, the last few minutes were a blur. I looked down at my body and jumped.

"I spun when I heard the bang," said a red faced Grace, she covered her eyes and smirked, "I saw you whiter than Fred, stark naked! And then spun around again when Fred started yowling. I had to fetch your clothes from the other side of the clearing! Now dress will you, cos' that aint no pretty sight." She turned and marched off behind the nearest tree. Charming, I thought. Getting dressed when you're wet isn't very nice. All the clothes stick to you and finding the sleeves is a nightmare! Finally I looked reasonable. I called for Grace since I was reasonable, and she came, although still looking a little flustered. To be honest I was bright red too. I shuffled over to Frederick, who was still tipped over, and turned him the right way up. As soon as eye contact was made he yowled some more. I thought; _I don't need this_ and so closed the book. Fredericks ranting was cut off immediately.

"Ahh, peace and quiet." I sighed.

"You shouldn't do that," said Grace with a frown, "It's considered very rude."

"Whatever…" I waved my hand to dismiss her words.

"So," she said, switching the subject, "what should he be."

"What?"

"I _said_ what should he be? Like what type of sending should he be?"

"Oh, well I think a bird of some sorts would be good." I suggested.

"That's what he said. Well that's sorted then."

"Nearly," I said, "what about the type of bird?"

"Yeah, we should ask him."

"Agreed." I said, with a smile spreading across my face. A bird, good, I liked birds.

A week after my teleporting incident we were all, once again, in the clearing. After some more telling off Fred announced that he had finished the new book.

"After some alterations, and much reading through I have finally completed your latest manual."

I was surprised at how quickly he had finished the book, but then if you thought about it, if you're trapped inside a book all day what else would you do? A small smiled spread across Grace's face.

"Great," she said, "I take it you want us to make another portal? I've been practising mine." She probably had, since the last time her portal failed, and mine only just succeeded.

"Yes I do, and it will have to be larger this time. This book is a fair deal larger than those handbooks I wrote last time." She dipped her head in acknowledgement.

"Well, there is no time like the present, come now you two. Chop. Chop!"

I snapped out of my stupor and sat up. Grumbling about my wet bottom from the grass, I closed my eyes and concentrated on the charter. After a while I sensed its presence and pushed towards it with my mind. Soon I was lost in the blissful world of the charter. Concentrating once again I plucked forth the marks for distance, time, defence (needed to protect the portal from the attacks of Frederick's book), transportation etc. Once I had all the marks I ordered them into place, only altering the group of marks that specified the size of the portal. Ready, I opened my eyes to see if the other two were ready. Naturally Frederick was ready as he only had to get the book with him, but grace was still within the charter, ordering together her spell. Within a few seconds she too opened her eyes to the world. I nodded lightly at her, indicating I was ready. She nodded back, speech to difficult to do whilst maintaining the spells in our minds. The marks throbbed in my head, summoning my thrice cursed migraine. Without further ado we unleashed the portals on the book. Immediately the books defences fought against my portals and Grace's. I quickly summoned forth three marks and barked them in an improvised spell. It worked and both mine and Grace's portals merged, making them stronger and inadvertently larger. Together we easily held the portal in place but still the job was far from simple. Therefore Frederick spent no time dithering and threw the book through the portal, careful to make sure his hand didn't go through the portals also. I did notice this but I was too busy maintaining the spell to question him and afterwards the observation was forgotten, for a while. The red book hurtled out of the portal and moments afterwards me and grace let the portal collapse into oblivion. A trickle of sweat crawled down my brow and onto my nose from concentrating so hard. Quickly I wiped it away. The book had landed face downward and it's rear was plain and empty, just crisp red card. Grace gracefully sauntered over and picked up the book. A lock of hair fell over her face, obscuring her right green eye. It occurred to me then how much I liked grace and how pretty she was. The moment passed and I felt slightly confused at the feeling. I shook it off and walked over and joined grace. The cover of the book was decorated in superior calligraphy, with black and white drawings of people, animals and, obviously, charter marks. The title was 'Charter Magic and its finer arts, by Frederick Nix'. We spent the rest of the afternoon learning from the book and from Frederick. As we left I let Grace take the book first.

"That's not like you." She said; one eyebrow slightly higher than its counterpart.

"Maybe I'm in a chivalrous mood." I countered. She smirked and rolled her eyes, I just smiled.


End file.
